Take a Chance on Me
by Emina Enjeru
Summary: After a breakup, Rei decides to escape and move on in a far away town as suggested by Hilary. And while his plans seem absolutely useless, he meets the younger brother of his now ex's fiancee who also happens to be a loyal customer of his flower shop for 3 years. Seems like the world is indeed small. R&R. Shounen-ai. You've been warned LOL.
1. Chapter 1

**_DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN BEYBLADE :D_**

**_I'm still thinking whether to keep this as a three-shot or make it longer. In any case, I hope you guys would like it ^^_**

* * *

_When I saw him at the other side of the street, happily walking hand in hand with her, the fact that I was desperately running away from and denying myself slapped me right across the cheek and the tears that I've tried hard not to show poured down from my eyes and trailed down my face along with the pouring rain._

* * *

**Part 1**

* * *

"I never really had a place in his heart. Not even a tiny bit."

"He's spent 26 years leading a normal life, what made you think he'd change that for you?" Hilary asked.

I forced a chuckle, "I guess because I'm just a stupid idiot who thought that if I loved him enough, he'd be able to love me as well."

Hilary sighed and stood up. She threw the cigarette from her mouth and stepped on it. She reached into her pocket and gave me a sort of ticket.

"I've taken care of everything else; go take a vacation" she ordered. I stared at her and at the piece of paper in her hand.

"You need a breather Rei. Your gloominess would only affect the flowers and looking like a zombie won't get you any customers."

"Hilary…"

"Don't worry. I've got things here" Hilary smiled and placed the paper in my hand.

That very next day I sailed to Okinawa with half a month's worth of luggage. Hilary booked me a room to a hotel that was owned by a friend of hers and told me that if I needed anything, he's the one I'm supposed to call.

Now allow me to properly introduce myself and explain exactly what happened to me. My name is Rei Kon, I'm 24 and just about three days ago, my heart was broken into tiny pieces by the man I've given everything to. Although really, it was just a one-sided love on my part. I knew that he was straight as an arrow and I daren't to confess my feelings for him. Just having him by my side, seeing his smile at me was enough. I was contented with what relationship we had.

Until he got dumped by his girlfriend and he ran to me for comfort. He came to my apartment, drowned himself in alcohol while crying and got so drunk that he ended up sleeping with me. I knew it was wrong to take advantage of him while he was in a vulnerable state and I was prepared for the regrets and consequences that would come after. Naturally he distanced himself from me for some weeks saying he needed some space. When I thought I'd never see him again in my life, he came back and told me that he loved me.

My lifelong dream became a reality. The feelings I've harboured for so long were finally being returned. We dated for more than two years and I thought that they were the happiest moments of my life. At least to me they were.

About two months ago, we went to a reunion party where he met his ex-girlfriend whom I thought he's gotten over with. But the look in his eyes when he saw her, the smiles he gave when he talked to her, they were those of someone who had never forgotten his past love.

I wanted to trust him, which is why I brushed off all the doubt and negative thoughts I had. I denied the fact that he was still in love with her over and over again. I loved him too much that I was willing to turn a blind eye when I realized that he was already cheating on me with her.

I was so hopelessly in love with him that I turned to someone I couldn't even recognize anymore.

I was sick and tired of begging for his love.

I've had enough of the pain he's kept on giving me.

I was so done with him.

So with a slap and a kick on the stomach, I ended everything with him.

-x-

The beach resort right next to the hotel I was staying in was even more beautiful than the pictures Hilary showed me before. The sands were sparkling white and the ocean itself was like a brilliant sapphire glistening under the bright sun.

There were only a few people around; some young and old couples walking along the shore and some families obviously having their own vacation with their little kids building sand castles not too far from them. As I recall Hilary said this resort was mainly owned by a large business tycoon and that it was a members-only kind of place. Of course, I'm not a member but Hilary is and she got me special permission to be here. She was suspiciously close to one of the associates of the owner of this resort. I'll have to remind myself to question her about that.

Taking a deep breath and pulling my shades from my head, I walked to the nearby open cafe. Once settled on a vacant table, I called for the waiter and ordered some juice and a club sandwich.

"Will that be all, sir?"

"Yes, thank you," I looked at the nameplate on his shirt, "Tristan" I added and flashed him my sweetest smile. Hilary used to tell me that it makes them happy when they're called by their names when you order so it's probably just because of that that he suddenly blushed wildly and tried to hide it as he walked back to the counter. I'm probably the only one who's ever called him by his name after taking an order.

After a few minutes, my order arrived and Tristan shyly placed them on the table. I thanked him and started having my breakfast.

"It sure is a nice day today isn't it?"

I looked up from my seat and saw this charming young man with emerald eyes and red-orangey hair smiling beautifully at me.

"I'm Brooklyn Kingston, one of the managers of this resort." He offered me his hand for a handshake.

I blinked and was obviously confused as to why he was talking to me but I still accepted his hand.

"Um, I'm Rei Kon, pleased to meet you Mr. Kingston."

"You can just call me Brooklyn and the pleasure's all mine Mr. Kon. By the way, may I?" he asked and gestured if he could share the table with me.

I nodded and he took the seat across from me. He clicked his hand and called for a waiter and ordered a cup of coffee. A minute later, his order arrived.

"So how come such a good looking man such as yourself is eating alone?"

I really can't tell him I'm not really a member here right? "Um, this is kind of my first time here so I'm still unfamiliar with the other people."

"So that's why I've never seen you here before. Are you on a vacation by yourself as well?"

"Um yeah."

"Oh I know! There's going to be a party tonight at the main hall, if you'd like you can come and join us. It'd be a good opportunity for you to get to know the other members."

Party? I'm really not in a mood for one but turning him down when he's wearing that overly excited smile of his, I just…

"U-Um, okay, sure, I'd love to join."

-x-

The day then passed just like that and it was already night. I was told that the party was later at ten so I still have about two hours. Wearing a simple black tank top and some walking shorts, I headed back to the beach to have a short stroll.

The cold night wind brushed against my skin and blew my braided hair. I brushed some of my bangs from my face as I washed the gentle waves on the ocean and the bright crescent moon that reflected on it. The clouds were barely there and the stars were shining brightly.

I wonder when was the last time I've seen such a beautiful night sky like this. Then as I looked to my feet I noticed a small crab crawling towards the ocean only to be washed ashore again by the waves. It tried and failed over and over.

I suddenly found myself smiling. I crouched and poked the little guy with a small stick I found lying around just next to my feet. The little thing raised its claws and fought against the stick. I Know it's kinda cruel to tease it like this but it reacts so cutely that I can't help myself.

"That's animal abuse."

I flinched and looked above me. 'Beautiful' – that was the first thing that came to my mind upon meeting his crimson eyes. He stood with great poise and was about a foot taller than me. His skin was pale as the snow and his lips were slightly pinkish red. He kind of reminded me of those Korean idol boys that Hilary always fantasized and giggled about. Especially because of his dual-colored hair.

I've stood up and I must've been staring at him for a while that he's raised an eyebrow at me. I snapped out and reflexively threw the small stick to the ocean.

"And that's polluting the environment" he commented.

Is he some kind of an environmentalist or something?

"I-I wasn't abusing an animal… n-nor was I polluting…" I defended, lowered my head and avoided his eyes. Damn, why is he treating me like I just did some horrible thing when I only played with a crab and threw a small harmless stick to the ocean?

And then I heard a light chuckle escape from the person in front of me. I took a peek and saw him trying to cover the smirk that formed on his lips.

I frowned. Oh right, he was teasing me and I fell for it. How stupid. I sighed and turned on my heel with a scoff. I stomped my way away from him but I just had the urge to look back at him one more time and when I did, I saw him crouched over. He picked up the small crab, walked to the most shallow parts of the ocean and lowered his hand there, most likely letting the crab swim away.

And I couldn't help but suddenly have my heart skip a beat when he wore such a soft and gentle expression while letting go of the creature.

He tilted his head, met my eyes and as if teasing me because he did the right thing unlike me, he smirked proudly.

I blinked in surprise. I glared at him but to no effect and went back to stomping away. Is h seriously trying to make fun of me? Who the hell does he think he is? I don't even know him!

* * *

**TBC**

**So? I don't wanna make this so dramatic or whatnot. I'll try to keep it light with just little drama and of course, still make it as fun as possible xD**

**Please let me know what you think ^^**


	2. Chapter 2

_**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BEYBLADE**_

_**Forgot to mention, this is kinda based on the song 'Take a Chance on Me' by JLS hence the title. So anyway, here's part 2 and part 3's coming soon xD**_

* * *

**Part 2**

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Even though it was already night time, the main lobby of the resort looked as if it was still broad daylight because of the bright lights that decorated and surrounded it. Loud music echoed from it while people danced to its beats. Some were enjoying their drinks and food on the tables. As I passed by some of them, they smiled and greeted me as if I was one of them. Of course, I did the same and returned their smiles. I went to the bar counter and ordered some vodka.

"Here ya go" the bartended smiled and winked at me and handed the small glass to me. I smiled back at him and took a sip.

"You're new here aren't ya?"

"Hm? Oh, um, yeah, kinda."

"I'm Miguel by the way, nice to meet ya."

"Rei" I smiled and shook his hand.

"So what's a gorgeous guy such as yourself partying alone here tonight?"

I chuckled at him and shook my head. "The manager invited me to get to know the other members."

"Ooh, Brooklyn huh? In any case, it's good you can come and join us tonight. I hope you'll have fun."

"I will" I smiled and raised my glass.

"Isn't it a bit early for you to flirt, Migs?"

Miguel and I looked to our side to find three women in their bikinis smiling brightly at us. One had a fiery red hair, fair skin and beautiful green eyes; she was the one who spoke. She smirked and winked at me.

"I'm Julia Fernandez, one of the golden members of the resort."

Golden member? I think I've heard about that from Hilary. I think that title was given to people who have been members for more than ten years.

"These are my friends, Mathilda and Mariam."

I smiled at the other two women behind her who both smiled back at me with a small bow. These women actually look pretty cute and wow, with those figures I wouldn't be surprised if they're models or something.

If Hilary was with me I think she'd be jealous and think they're hitting on me or something. She's kind of the possessive type after all. Although of course she's aware of my preference, she still likes keeping me to herself as her best friend. And she kinda gets annoyed whenever a beautiful girl approaches me. Yet she reacts like a teenage hormonal girl whenever a handsome guy tries to get it on with me. I think she's sunken pretty deep to the fujoshi world.

They then took their own seats around me. Julia on my right and Mariam and Mathilda on my left.

"So you're new here? It's no wonder I've never seen you around."

I nervously chuckled at her and sipped my drink again. I'm getting the idea that all the members here are actually really close to each other. I've been hearing the same line from this morning. Why did they have such good memories and so good in distinguishing between newcomers and regulars? I'm getting scared that they'll soon realize that I'm not really a member.

"Are you really Japanese?" Mariam asked.

"Eh? Um, no, I'm actually Chinese."

"Really? Who would've thought? You speak Japanese so well I thought you were one."

"He probably grew up here, am I right?" Julia said.

"Actually no. I just moved here about five years ago from China."

"What? That just makes it even more amazing!"

"OH hey, Ming-Ming's gonna sing now" Mathilda beamed pointing to the stage where a young blunette had made her way up.

The people around started cheering and whistling.

"You should listen to her; she's got one of the best voices in town!" Julia cheered. I shrugged my shoulders and watched as Ming-Ming, as Mathilda had called her, sat on a tall stool with a guitar on her hand. The moment she opened her mouth and an angel of a voice came out, I thought I was in heaven. Her voice was so soothing and pleasing to the ears.

"She's really something isn't she?" A blonde then came to our area with a green-haired pretty boy right behind him, their attentions on the singing diva on the stage.

"Really, it's no surprise she got an offer from a really famous recording studio from the city."

"What? Do you mean that Oliver?"

"Yep, we were with her when two scouts came up to us and offered her a recording contract."

"Wow, that's amzing!" Mariam cheered.

"Oh by the way, Oliver, Rique, this is Rei, he's a new member." Julia gestured to me and the two men greeted me and shook hands with me.

"Wow, are your eyes real?" Enrique questioned and looked closely at me.

"Um, yeah, they're as real as they can get" I laughed and pulled away a bit.

The night then went on with that. Julia and the others introduced me to more of their friends and surprisingly enough, I became an instant member of their own circle. We exchanged numbers and e-mails and when they found out that I owned a flower shop back in Tokyo, they were thrilled and promised to visit and order some bouquets some time or even contract me to being their flower arranger whenever they have an event.

When an upbeat music then came up, they went to dance floor. Mariam and Oliver invited me to join them but I refused since after drinking a little too much, I felt tipsy already and standing became a bit of a hurdle. So all that was left in the table was me, Michael, a famous baseball superstar, Robert, a rich German who was actually the owner of the hotel I was staying at, Brooklyn, and Miguel who had left his position as the bartender to one of his other co-workers so he could spend time with us.

"Are you sure it's okay for you to leave your post like that?" Michael cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh sure, it's no biggy. Besides, Brooklyn allowed me to." Said bartender winked at Brooklyn who raised his glass as a response.

"But it was really a surprise to finally meet you here, Rei. I wanted to set up an appointment so we could meet back in the hotel but I was too busy that I couldn't."

"Don't worry about it, Mr. Jurgens. Besides, Hilary talked about you so much that I felt like I've met you."

"Just Robert is fine. Hilary's a really good friend so any friend of hers is also a friend of mine."

I nodded and smiled at him.

Spending time with these guys reminded me of my university days. Back when I was still miserably in love with _him_. I found myself sighing when memories of us together repeatedly flashed in my mind. I got annoyed with myself and abruptly stood up which obviously surprised the others.

"Rei? Something wrong?" Robert asked.

"I just… I'm just gonna go and freshen a bit. I think I've had… too much alcohol." I faked a smile and excused myself from them. They still looked a bit worried and I felt their eyes on my back as I walked away.

* * *

I hugged my knees and sat near the shore. The cold wind against my skin made me shiver but it didn't really bother me. My head was completely in a puddle and I could feel my eyes sting because of tears. And here I thought I've moved on. No wait, who am I kidding? I've loved him my whole life, how can I just forget about him after just mere days passed?

"This is… stupid…" I stifled my cry as I lowered my head on my knees. I'm hopeless.

"Abusing a small animal again?"

I flinched at the familiarity of the voice that came from next to me. I daren't look at him. Not with my tearstained face that I knew only made me look even more pathetic.

"Leave me alone" I muttered. I heard him take a step back so I thought he did leave me alone. I raised my head a bit to see and saw him still standing there but a little more far back.

"I'd get away from there if I were you."

I tilted my head and before I could ask what he meant, a large wave splashed all over me.

Oh great, now I'm soaking wet.

* * *

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: AOKI TAKAO OWNS BEYBLADE**

* * *

**Part 3**

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God how I hate the world right now. I'm drunk with tearstained face although you wouldn't really notice anymore since I'm soaking wet thanks to the damn ocean and while I'm in this sorry state, the only person around is this guy I don't even know yet I keep bumping into. It's like he's everywhere I am. Is he freaking stalking me?

"Are you a freaking stalker?"

He silently rolled his eyes as if my question was ridiculous. He grabbed my arm and helped me up. He may be suspicious but he was kind enough to lend me the coat he was wearing. Any pride that dared to stop me from accepting it was pushed at the very, very back of my mind. Who in their right minds who's practically shaking like a little wet Chihuahua would reject such a warm offer?

"Why the hell are you wearing a coat in a beach?"

"It's night."

Oh, right.

"Achoo!"

Oh wow, so now I have a cold? How can someone who practically grew up in the mountains have such weak immune system? Or maybe it's just normal for someone who's used to tropical weather to suddenly get sick after being splashed all over by cold water?

Getting sick in the middle of a vacation, how awesome is that? Feel the sarcasm?

Mr. Red, as I choose to call him since the color of his eyes just imprinted on my mind, grabbed my arm once again and towed me to the open café where I had my breakfast this morning. And while I was tamely and pathetically letting him do that, I kept sneezing and wiping my nose with my free hand.

"Mr. Hi―"

"Bring me a towel."

Wow, I don't think I've heard anyone so authoritative. Tristan gulped and actually looked scared and immediately followed. Mr. Red then sat me down on a chair and called for another waiter. I don't think he even called, there were three waiters who came up to us almost as soon as we arrived. And for some reason they look panicked.

"Bring me black coffee and hot chocolate for him." The waiters nodded and frantically ran back to the counter. At the same time, Tristan came back with a towel and gave it to me. Before I could even thank him, he already sped off. What the hell is wrong with the waiters?

And as soon as Mr. Red sat across from me, another waiter came with our drinks and shakily but still carefully placed them down on the table. He bowed and then left.

What are they so afraid of?

Mr. Red quietly brought the cup to his lips and drank his coffee. How can he drink that as if it's the most delicious thing in the world? Black coffee tastes yucky. I'd never drink that thing even if you pay me.

I sighed and drank from my own glass. Hot chocolate tastes awesome when you're freezing. The warmth just crawls all over your body and it felt so good.

"Why were you crying?"

I almost choked on my drink.

"I-I wasn't!"

"Right" he nodded and obviously didn't believe me.

What the hell, I don't care anymore. It won't really change anything even if I told a stranger. I might as well just let it out. Besides, I'm still drunk. I'll blame it all on the alcohol.

"The man I've always loved decided that he didn't love me anymore and broke up with me" I replied in a very, very dull tone. "And yes, I said _man_ so I _am_ gay."

He'll probably get disgusted. Everyone does. Well except from my friends of course. Heck even my family got disgusted at first. Aside from the fact that I'm gay I was also in a relationship. More than half of the world already considers being gay an incredible sin worthy of being burned to hell so what more if one had a relationship with someone of the same sex? Yep, I'll probably out-rule Satan now because of this _sin._

But alas, my expectations were tenderly thrown out the window when he just shrugged his shoulders and kept drinking his goddamned coffee as if my gender preference didn't matter to him. Who am I kidding, why the hell would it matter it to him anyway?

"So you ran away and came here to forget about him?"

"Exactly."

"And how's that going for you?"

"Running away was pretty pointless since everywhere I look, everything I do and no matter who I'm with, it always ends up with me wishing he was here, right beside me."

Shit there they are again, these freaking tears are stinging my eyes again. They're bracing themselves to get out. Why do they always have to betray me? They're a part of me and yet they keep on disobeying me. I hate these tears.

"God, I'm so pathetic."

When you've loved a person for a very, very long time, the feelings aren't easily forgotten. No matter how hard you try to forget, you just can't. And that's why it sucks. Why didn't God or whatever created humans put a damn reset button on a person's brain and heart? It would've been so easy to just reformat your whole life and start all over again. Or maybe a delete button to erase the memories you don't want anymore.

"I wish it would just go away, all of it." The pain, the memories and these hopeless feelings I still have for him.

"You're right, running away was useless, and especially when this is the place you ran away to."

I sobbed and frowned at him. "What?"

"Denzel Ashford."

How… why does he know that name?

"He and his fiancé are having their engagement party here in three days."

I dropped my jaw and I think my soul just left my body.

I abruptly stood up, my body still shaking, and was about to leave but Mr. Red successfully took my hand again.

"Let me go."

"Where are you going?"

"I… I'm leaving of course. I came here because I didn't want to see him, not his face, not even his shadow! I want to forget about him and everything about us. If I see him, then everything would've been pointless!"

"It was pointless to begin with. Whether you see him or not, whether you're together or not, you're still thinking of him. You won't forget him that way."

"Shut up! Why do you even care? I don't even know you so will you just mind your own goddamn business?!"

"His fiancé is my sister."

Oh so that's why I've been feeling something strange about him since the first time I saw him. I knew I've seen those eyes before. And he probably approached me because he knew me. He didn't want me to cause any trouble for his sister.

"Then all the more reason that I should leave right? Shouldn't you be encouraging me to pack my bags already instead of stopping me?"

"Come to their engagement."

Is he fucking serious? He wants me to witness how happy my ex has become in the arms of someone else?

"So I could be more miserable than I already am? Thank you but no."

"If you really want to forget about him then drill it into on your mind. That he's happy with someone else. That's he's happy without you."

"Just shut up!" I snatched my arm away from his grip.

"And if you approached me to tell me to not get in their way, you don't have to worry because I don't plan to. I _will_ forget about him. I know it's almost impossible but I will."

I left and went back to the hotel. The concierge looked so worried when I passed by the front desk, obviously because I was crying like hell. And I wouldn't be surprised if Robert found out about this sooner or later. But it'll probably be sooner.

I'm so tired to think about anything anymore. My back slid on the door of my room and I weakly just stared at nothing, my tears completely gushing out my eyes.

Shit, it hurts. Why the hell is this happening to me?

* * *

"What happened? Robert called me just now saying you came back to the hotel crying."

I knew it.

"It was nothing. I just drank too much alcohol." It's the following morning and the sun was beautifully shining on the sky. I've woken up with pretty swollen eyes and a red nose after crying for several hours last night. My tears just won't stop coming out.

"Rei, you know better than lie to me."

I forgot, I suck at lying.

"He's having an engagement party at the resort near the hotel."

"What? That bastard, of all places why the hell's he having it there?"

"It's not like I own it Hils, he has every right to have it there. Which is why I'm going back to Tokyo. I'm gonna buy the ticket today."

"No you won't."

"What?"

"You're going to stay there and wait for me."

"Hils, you don't have to."

"Yes I do. Now, you just sit tight and wait for me. I _will_ go there."

And before I could say one more word, she's hung up on me. Great. Trust Hilary to decide things on her own.

Well it is happening at the resort. If I could just stay away from there then I'll be fine right? I'm not even that fond of swimming nor do I like hanging out at a beach. There are plenty of things to do in the hotel. Or maybe I could just go downtown. I can just ask Robert about the nice places in this town. Yep, I'll do that.

So after a short bath, I put on a shirt and a sweater matched with some black skinny jeans. I tied my hair to a long braid and after one last look in the mirror, I grabbed my phone and went for the door. I turned the knob and the first person that met me was the second person I never wanted to see again.

"It's you…"

I instantly frowned. "Look, I know I said I'm going to leave but I have a friend who's coming and told me to just wait here for her. And right now I'm just going downtown to probably get something for her."

"Your eyes are swollen."

"I was crying last night, remember? _You _made me cry."

"I didn't mean anything by what I said last night."

"I know. You just want your sister to be happy and by that it means me out of the picture. I get it."

"No, that's not what I―"

"It's alright. I said I get it okay? When my friend arrives, I'll talk to her and we'll both leave as soon as we can. So please, stop bothering me anymore and just let me be."

"Rei―"

"Rei!"

"Robert?"

Robert appeared from around the corner and wait, did Mr. Red just call me by my name? I never told him my name.

"Oh great, so you've met each other."

"Not really" Mr. Red and I replied in chorus. Robert seemed weirded out by it.

"Uuh, well then let me introduce. Kai this Rei Kon, the one I told you about and Rei, this is Kai Hiwatari, he's the owner of the resort near the hotel."

And there goes my eyes growing as big as dinner plates and my mouth running dry.

"H-He's the owner?"

"Yeah. I'm surprised you didn't know. Didn't Hilary mention him?"

"You know Hilary?"

"As an acquaintance" _Kai_ replied.

"An Acquaintance?"

"I've ordered flower arrangements from her for the past three years."

"…H-Hiwatari…Enterprises?"

"That's his family's business."

So, he's known about me for three years? And Hilary knew him? I am so confused right now.

"Anyway, why don't you have breakfast with us Rei? You should come along too Kai. Everyone's eating out, Miguel's treat. C'mon!"

My head's failing to process the information I just received. What the hell is with the ridiculous connections? My ex's fiancé is Kai's sister and Kai has been a customer of my flower shop for three years and knows Hilary and me as well, probably, yet I know nothing about him?

I think I'm gonna have a headache.

"So the flowers from the big events of the Hiwatari company were from Rei's shop? Were you also the one who arranged them?" Julia, Mariam and Ming-Ming asked excitedly.

"Y-Yeah."

"But how come you didn't know Kai?"

"My business partner's usually the one delivering the flowers. I just arrange them."

We're now at a restaurant eating breakfast just as Robert had said. Everyone was there, the three girls that were talking to me just now, Robert, of course, Miguel, Brooklyn, Oliver and Enrique.

"Kai, I heard Keisha-neesan's having her engagement party at the resort. How are the arrangements?" Robert asked.

God, no. Not this conversation.

"I'd rather not talk about it."

"Eh? Why not? Don't tell me you're still against her fiancé?" Ming-Ming pouted.

"Against… the fiancé?"

I looked at Kai and he frowned and avoided my eyes.

"For some reason Kai here hates his sister's fiancé. He's really against their relationship. If it weren't for his mother, he would never have allowed the party to be held at his resort" Miguel laughed.

"Why do you even hate the guy Kai? As I've heard, he's pretty good looking and even came from a good family."

"I just hate him" Kai scoffed. "I'm done so I'm leaving. Bye."

"Ah, wait Kai!"

"We pissed him off" Julia laughed.

"You know he hates that topic" Robert shook his head.

"I'll be right back."

I wiped off any dirt from my mouth and chased after Kai. Something just doesn't seem right.

I came out of the restaurant at the right timing, or maybe it's more right to say at the worse timing… ever.

"Rei?"

"D-Den… -zel…"

* * *

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4

**LOL I think I forgot I had this thing going. I've finished this chapter way before but never got to upload it. Anyway, here it is ^^**

**Enjoy!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN BEYBLADE**

* * *

**Part 4**

* * *

Big round bluish green eyes, high cheek bones and curly auburn hair. It was Denzel and he stood a couple of walks away from me, _her_ right beside him, an arm hooked on his. Suddenly, my mouth was dry and my voice reduced to nothing but a small squeak when I tried to speak. For a few seconds, we stared at each other, both eyes wide, obviously shocked with each other's unexpected presence.

"Kai? I thought you were at the resort?"

"Something came up."

My attention was then quickly snatched away by a hand grabbing my wrist. It was Kai. He glanced at me for a second then returned his attention to his sister.

"I'm on a date with my lover."

All three of us blinked at him with obviously disbelieving and surprised expressions.

"What―" And before I could fully voice out my protest, Kai towed me to his car, opened the passenger seat's door and threw me in. My head was still in a very confused state and so I just sat there and watched Kai walk to the other side of the car and fire up the engine as soon as he was in the driver's seat.

"Ah hey, wait Kai!" his sister called but we were already on the driveway. I caught a quick sight of Denzel's still dumfounded expression and I may have hallucinated or I may only just forcing myself with it but, there was a small look of hurt on his face.

Was he hurt that I was on a 'date' with my supposedly 'new lover'?

* * *

It was about an hour of quiet drive. Neither of us tried to open the topic of what happened earlier. I don't know why he didn't but as for me, I just didn't know what to say. My mind was still a complete mush and the pained look on Denzel's face never left me.

It's only been days since we broke up and since I frustratingly haven't moved on, seeing him again with his fiancé hurt like hell. The tears that had continuously betrayed me surprisingly didn't come out. I just stared blankly at the scenery we've been passing by through the semi-tinted car windows.

Then after another half an hour, Kai finally stopped and killed the engine in front of a building. From the looks of it, it was a hotel; a very grandiose hotel.

Kai opened the door on my side of the car and leaned over.

"Come with me."

Instead of the usual authoritative tone I've always heard him use, despite the sentence being more of a command, he said it as if he was pleading me.

But maybe that's just me.

I took a deep breath and got off the car. I followed him into the hotel and the instant the automatic doors opened, a sweet fragrance attacked my nose.

Golden glistening chandeliers lined the ceiling of the hall. The walls were maroon and so were the carpeted floor. There were white marble pillars, landscape and portrait paintings decorating the walls and the sweet aroma filled the entire lobby. The employees bowed and greeted us.

"The penthouse has been prepared sir" the concierge said. Kai simply nodded and walked pass her.

Kai's the owner of the largest company in the country, as well as that large resort so I wasn't really surprised when I found out that the hotel was also his. Actually, I wouldn't be surprised if he owned more buildings. I think I read in an article before that 'Kai Hiwatari' is the youngest billionaire in the world. I never would've dreamt I'd spend a time with _that_ Kai Hiwatari_._

Anyway, we got into an elevator and got to the topmost floor where the penthouse was. Kai pressed on the keypad and opened the door.

"Come on in" he said. I nodded and came in.

I know it's a little―no make that very dangerous to go with a guy you've practically just met into a hotel, guys and girls alike but I'm a trained black belt in karate, if things somehow do go _that_ way, I think I'll at least manage to hold my own against him. I may not look like it but I'm strong.

"Take a seat. I'll get some drinks."

I nodded and quietly took a seat on the long cushioned sofa.

A large 65-inch LCD TV hanged at the center of the living room wall with a sound system standing on each side. There was an oval glass table surrounded by the couches. There are large glass windows covered by retractable blinds that go from the floor all the way up a couple of meters from the ceiling. Oh and the floor was again covered by a maroon carpet. The walls were painted in an off-white shade and beautiful abstract painting hanged on them.

While I was busy still admiring the beautiful and incredibly spacious room, Kai had returned with the drinks on a tray. Thankfully he prepared teas instead of coffees. I'm not much of a coffee-drinker. Along with the drinks were slices of different cakes.

"Um… I think it's about time I asked," I started, "But why did you take me here?"

He sighed and took a sip from his drink first before answering.

"I just thought you'd want to be in a different place."

And his idea of a different place is his penthouse? I ignored the idea of voicing that out. I was scared it would offend him in any way.

"Thank you. For… saving me earlier."

"I didn't just do it for you."

And then he looked right at me with serious but seemingly forlorn eyes. Or was I just imagining it?

"Right. For your sister too." I forced a chuckle.

I heard him sigh. "I did it for myself."

"For… yourself?" I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Forget it. About that friend who's coming, is it Hilary?"

Oh right. I almost forgot. They're _acquaintances._ I'll have to remind myself to question Hilary about that info.

"Yes. She insisted on coming when she found out I wanted to leave the town because of the sudden turn of events." I took a deep breath then continued drinking.

"It's not surprising that she'd just up and leave everything she was doing back in Tokyo just to help and comfort you. I've always noticed how much she cares for you."

"I'm glad you opened that topic yourself. What's the deal between you and Hilary? How come I've never met you yet you seem to know me pretty well?"

"I met her by chance. I was [unfortunately] on a stroll with a friend when he took notice of the flowers in your shop and forced me to buy them for his birthday. And then he got the brightest idea of ordering the flowers for an upcoming event of the company from _that_ shop and things just kept happening and happening until my company turned to one of your shop's loyal customers."

I could see his eyebrows twitching while narrating his encounter with Hilary. Especially when he mentioned his friend. That friend must really annoy him.

"And it didn't help that most of my employees and business partners were also entranced by your flowers."

"You say it like you hate it so much" I cocked an eyebrow. He didn't give a comeback at that but he scoffed.

"But what about you?"

"What 'what about me'?"

"Did you like the flowers?"

"They were cleanly arranged and it was clear that they've been looked after greatly so it wasn't hard to appreciate them."

Cleanly? Could that possibly his way of saying that he _did_ like them? Oh my, that's… unexpectedly cute. I chuckled at that unexpected slip of character.

"I do spend a great amount of time taking care of them. There's not a single day that I don't talk to them and ask them to bloom beautifully so that my customers would have big smiles on their faces when they see the flowers."

"You talk to the flowers?" He cocked an eyebrow but he looked interested enough.

"Yes I do. I know some people would think that's crazy―"

"Most people would."

―But flowers aren't really _that_ different from humans. They actually listen! Actually a lot better than most humans do."

"Since you're a florist, you must know about flower meanings right?"

"Well duh."

"Then tell me, what flower should you give to a person you love but can't have yet but you're willing to wait until that person's ready to accept you?"

"Unrequited love?"

He nodded.

"Hmm, Daffodils are often the flower for unrequited love, Carnation Red is also a possible choice since in the language of flowers they mean 'my hearts aches for you' which is always the thing when it comes to one-sided loves, and Jonquil, the flower for people who wants their affections to be returned."

I was still thinking of other flowers to suggest when I saw something quite incredible. This Kai Hiwatari actually cracked a smile. It was small and almost invisible but I managed to catch a glimpse of it. And I couldn't explain how my heart raced after seeing even a small curve on those lips of his.

"You… actually look a lot better when you smile…" That wasn't intended to come out and be voiced out and when I was hoping Kai failed to catch that, he actually did. He's got pretty sharp ears, I must say.

"My sister used to tell me that."

"Maybe you should try smiling more often" I smiled.

"I've never had a reason to smile about so I may have forgotten how to."

"But you just did it just now…"

I can't believe it. He actually looked surprised as if he didn't know. Or he probably really didn't? Was he smiling unconsciously? And then from being surprised beyond belief he looked more like he was embarrassed. That awkward quiet moment was broken when my phone rang.

It was Hilary.

"_Where are you? Robert just called me saying you suddenly left while having breakfast with them. Didn't I tell you to stay put and wait for me?"_

"Don't worry Hil, I'm still in town. I'm just having tea… actually, I'm at Kai's penthouse."

"_Kai? Wait… you mean, Kai Hiwatari?! You're with him? In his penthouse? Just the two of you?!"_

"Why do you sound so surprised?" And actually kind of excited? "Anyway, contact me again when you've arrived. I'll pick you up."

"_I _have_ arrived that's why I'm calling you."_

"Oh? Where are you then? I'll―"

"_Don't bother. I'm fine, I already asked Robert to pick me up. You can just stay there. I'm sure you have a _lot_ of things to talk about with Kai."_

And just as usual, she hanged up before I could say anything else. Although she has a point that me and Kai still have a lot to talk about.

About Denzel, his sister and what I'll be doing from here on out. I bet he's still worried about it.

With the way I acted earlier, it's no wonder he would. If he didn't snap me out of my daze when I saw Denzel, I might've broken down and ruined everything already. My feelings for him were on the verge of surfacing.

God how I hate myself.

"Hilary's arrived?"

And he snaps me back from my thought-world again.

"Huh? O-Oh, yeah. Just now probably. I wanted to pick her up but she said I shouldn't bother since she already called Robert."

"I see."

And now we return to the silence moment. It's so quiet I could hear the ticking of the clock and the birds chirping outside. It's… deafening.

"U-Um… do you… do you live here by yourself?" Well, it's better than just sitting across each other not talking. I can start small talk too.

"Yes but I don't live here. I have a house in Tokyo. I only stay here when I feel like escaping."

"Es…caping?"

"From everything." He leaned back on the couch and found sudden interest on staring at the ceiling.

"You know, those times when it's just too much to handle and you're on the verge of breaking down. During those times, I run to this town, spend some time at the resort or here, in the penthouse."

"So this town's kind of your safe haven?" I chuckled.

"You could call it that."

Maybe I should make it my safe haven too.

This town is actually perfect for that. It really is like a heaven. The people are all so nice, the sceneries are beautiful and enchanting, and it's far away and completely different from the noisy city life. Maybe I'll just move here.

Maybe if I do, I'll finally be able to… move on.

_Ding dong… Ding dong… Ding dong…_

Hmm? "Someone's… at the door?" I looked at Kai and he… looked pissed. He didn't get up to open the door and so the doorbell rang for the next ten minutes. It was actually pretty annoying. So before I could even regret what I did, I stood up abruptly and opened the damned door.

"Shit…" I heard Kai curse.

I had the slight feeling that was for the person who stood in front of me, with big blue glittering excited eyes and a Cheshire grin.

"Um…"

"You're Rei aren't you? Rei Kon, owner of Chateau de Fleur? I'm Tala, Tala Ivanov!"

* * *

**TBC**

**Reviews? o w o**


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